Tim Tebow details why Tua Tagovailoa's ankle may affect his play more as game goes on

Dave Holcomb| 7 months ago

Alabama starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is planning to play Saturday against LSU in the biggest game of the season. Tagovailoa hasn’t played in a few weeks and underwent surgery on his ankle Oct. 20.

But while the ankle may feel fine going into Saturday, former SEC quarterback and ESPN analyst Tim Tebow said in an interview with Alex Byington of The Montgomery Advertiser on Friday that the issue is it could feel worse as the game goes.

“The problem is, he might not feel like it limits him until he gets into the game,” Tebow said. “Then all the sudden, a few plays in, ‘Oh gosh,” you know? And wow, ‘Now I can’t take those steps. Now I’m worried about stepping up. Now I’m changing a little bit of the way I play, so my timing and rhythm is off because I realize in the first couple plays that I’m not the same guy that I was so I have to adapt.’

“Sometimes guys can do it and have success. Other times, it can be very difficult because if ‘I’m used to really stepping up in the pocket being able to throw on the run’ like Tua (Tagovailoa) does all the time from a lot of different arm angles. ‘Now I can’t do it with the same comfort.’ How does he adapt? I think that’s such a big key for him, mentally, in being able to handle that.”

Tagovailoa will have to figure it out on the fly, as Alabama hosts LSU on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers and Crimson Tide were ranked No. 2 and 3 in the first College Football Playoff rankings this week.